NASA Curiosity Mars Rover Badge

The NASA Mars Rover made mobile marketing history on October 3rd, 2012 when it checked in from the surface of Mars at the Gale Crater. Today, Foursquare and NASA have partnered to bring out the curious scientist explorer in all of us with a new NASA Curiosity badge featuring the Mars Rover. This isn’t the first time NASA and Foursquare have teamed up. On October 22nd, 2010, Colonel Douglas “Wheels” Wheelock became the first person to check-in outside of our planet when he checked in the International Space Station. He was the first person to unlock the NASA Explorer badge and launched the partnership. The NASA Explorer badge went live for users here on Earth to explore and earn on December 9th of that year when Wheels made his way back home.

The NASA Explorer badge was retired earlier this year, most likely because it predominantly featured the space shuttle in the design. With the Mars Curiosity Rover charging ahead with space exploration, it is great to see they have brought back the badge and featured the rover in the design. You can follow the user profile of the Curiosity Rover as it explores the Red Planet, but it is not required to earn the badge. You do need to follow the NASA brand page though. Users who earn the badge will see the following unlock text:

Get out your rock-vaporizing laser! You’ve explored your scientific curiosities just like NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars. Stay curious and keep exploring. You never know what you’ll find.

credit: NASA

This badge is designed to encourage users to explore science museums around the country. Most of the locations where NASA has left tips are members of the NASA Alliance. The exact number needed to visit to earn the badge is unknown, but there are plenty of available options in Georgia and neighboring states. Having worked on the original NASA Explorer badge campaign creation, I am excited to see NASA pushing forward and evolving the program to continue to encourage people to take an interest in science. As Jack Horkheimer would say to close out his PBS TV show ‘Star Gazers’, “Keep Looking Up!”.